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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 772 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 772

 Encouraging the celebration of the month of June as LGBTQ Pride Month.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 8, 2016

 Mr. Al Green of Texas (for himself, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Lowenthal, Ms. 
 McCollum, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Polis, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Sean 
 Patrick Maloney of New York, Mr. Lewis, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Takano, 
and Mrs. Watson Coleman) submitted the following resolution; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Encouraging the celebration of the month of June as LGBTQ Pride Month.

Whereas this resolution shall be cited as the Original LGBTQ Pride Month 
        Resolution of 2016;
Whereas the Honorable Barney Frank, Member of Congress from 1981 to 2013, is 
        recognized as an honorary cosponsor of this resolution;
Whereas Members of this Congress support the rights, freedoms, and equality of 
        those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ);
Whereas those who took a stand for human rights and dignity at the Stonewall Inn 
        in New York City on June 28, 1969, are among the pioneers within this 
        movement;
Whereas the LGBTQ Stonewall protestors were subject to police harassment and 
        invidious discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender 
        identity;
Whereas this decisive moment in history was followed by the creation of gay 
        rights organizations in every major city in the United States within two 
        years of the Stonewall uprising;
Whereas the Stonewall uprising has been followed by many positive progressive 
        historic moments;
Whereas in December of 1973, the board of the American Psychiatric Association 
        voted to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses;
Whereas in 1974, Elaine Noble became the first openly LGBTQ candidate elected to 
        a State legislature in the United States when she won a seat in the 
        Massachusetts House of Representatives;
Whereas in 1975, the Civil Service Commission eliminated the ban on the 
        employment of homosexuals in most Federal jobs;
Whereas, on January 8, 1978, Harvey Milk made national news when he was sworn in 
        as an openly gay member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors;
Whereas in October of 1979, 75,000 people participated in the National March on 
        Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights to demand equal civil rights;
Whereas in 1980, Democrats took a stance in support of gay rights at the 
        Democratic National Convention;
Whereas in October 1987, thousands of activists took part in the National March 
        on Washington to demand that President Reagan address the AIDS crisis;
Whereas in 1987, Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts became the first 
        Representative to voluntarily come out as an openly gay Member of 
        Congress;
Whereas in May of 1996, in Romer v. Evans, the United States Supreme Court 
        decided that a Colorado constitutional amendment preventing the 
        enactment of protections for gays and lesbians in that State was 
        unconstitutional;
Whereas at the turn of the century in 2000, Vermont became the first State in 
        the country to legally recognize civil unions between gay and lesbian 
        couples;
Whereas, on June 26, 2003, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in 
        Lawrence v. Texas, that under the 14th amendment, States could not 
        criminalize the private, intimate relationships of same-sex couples;
Whereas, on October 28, 2009, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate 
        Crimes Prevention Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by 
        President Obama;
Whereas the bill expanded existing Federal hate crimes laws to include crimes 
        motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, 
        gender identity, or disability;
Whereas, on January 4, 2010, Mayor Annise D. Parker was sworn in as Houston's 
        first openly gay mayor;
Whereas in December of 2010, Congress approved and President Obama signed the 
        repeal of the ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' law, allowing gays, lesbians, 
        and bisexuals to serve openly in the United States Armed Forces;
Whereas the year 2012 marked the first year that all 50 States in the United 
        States had at least one openly LGBTQ elected official;
Whereas, on January 3, 2013, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin was sworn in as the 
        first openly gay United States Senator;
Whereas, on June 26, 2013, the United States Supreme Court ruled, in United 
        States v. Windsor, that section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) 
        was unconstitutional and that the Federal Government cannot discriminate 
        against married lesbian and gay couples for the purposes of determining 
        Federal benefits and protections;
Whereas, on July 21, 2014, President Obama took action to protect LGBT workers 
        by signing an Executive order prohibiting Federal contractors from 
        discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity;
Whereas, on June 8, 2015, Triathelete Chris Moiser became the first transgender 
        athlete to earn a spot on the United States national team;
Whereas, on June 9, 2015, the United States military's equal opportunity policy 
        was updated to protect LGBT service men and women from harassment and 
        discrimination;
Whereas, on June 23, 2015, New York City's Stonewall Inn received a landmark 
        designation by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission so that the 
        bar cannot be torn down or developed without approval;
Whereas, on June 26, 2015, the United States Supreme Court in the case of 
        Obergefell v. Hodges decided by a vote of 5-4 that the 14th amendment 
        requires all States to license marriages between same-sex couples and to 
        recognize all marriages that were lawfully performed out of State;
Whereas, on July 2015, the Equality Act was introduced on July 23, 2015, by 
        Congressman David Cicilline with bipartisan support, as the first 
        comprehensive civil rights bill, which amends the Civil Rights Act of 
        1964 to include sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the 
        prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of 
        public accommodation;
Whereas, on July 17, 2015, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity 
        Commission rules that discrimination based on sexual orientation is 
        ``sex discrimination'' as outlined in title VII of the Civil Rights Act;
Whereas, on October 31, 2015, the Obama administration announced that it would 
        approve the spouses of refugees who are approved for resettlement in the 
        United States, even gay spouses who come from countries where legal 
        unions are not possible;
Whereas, on November 10, 2015, President Obama is named Out Magazine's ``Ally of 
        the Year'' and is the first sitting President featured on the cover of a 
        national LGBT news and entertainment periodical;
Whereas, on December 21, 2015, the Food and Drug Administration shortened the 
        lifetime ban that was enacted in 1983 to allow some blood donations by 
        gay men;
Whereas in the first 10 weeks of 2016, according to a Human Rights Campaign 
        tally, more than 200 bills across 34 States were introduced that are 
        considered anti-LGBT, the threat on the civil liberties of LGBT people 
        has increased on the State level since the Supreme Court ruling on 
        marriage equality;
Whereas, on May 13, 2016, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education released 
        joint guidance to help provide educators the information they need to 
        ensure that all students, including transgender students, can attend 
        school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex;
Whereas, on May 18, 2016, Eric Fanning was sworn in as the first openly gay 
        Secretary of the Army, marking the first time a branch of the military 
        is led by an openly gay person; and
Whereas the inclusion of our transgender brothers and sisters into United States 
        society continues to expand every day, with an understanding that we 
        will remain steadfast in pursuing the goal of complete equality, 
        respect, and tolerance for all, regardless of the gender a person is 
        assigned at birth: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Original LGBTQ Pride Month 
Resolution of 2016''.

SEC. 2. ENCOURAGING THE CELEBRATION OF THE MONTH OF JUNE AS LGBTQ PRIDE 
              MONTH.

    That--
            (1) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
                    (A) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer 
                (LGBTQ) rights are human rights to be recognized and 
                protected by the United States Constitution; and
                    (B) the United States should continue to strive to 
                ensure that the promise of equality is realized for all 
                people in the United States; and
            (2) the House of Representatives--
                    (A) recognizes that all people in the United States 
                should be treated fairly and equally regardless of 
                sexual orientation or gender identity;
                    (B) acknowledges the struggle of the Stonewall 
                protestors and countless other LGBTQ people for 
                equality; and
                    (C) encourages the celebration of LGBTQ Pride Month 
                to provide a continuing opportunity for all people in 
                the United States to learn about the discrimination and 
                inequality that has faced, and continues to face, LGBTQ 
                people.
                                 <all>
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